Bakuage Offers Prize of 120 Million JPY to Whoever Solves Collatz Conjecture, Math Problem Unsolved for 84 Years

prnewswire. com ^ | 7/7/2021 | Staff

[LibWhacker]

No one has a clue how to solve it. It might as well be you! A mathematical background is not really required. Anyone could be the person who dreams up the trick to solve it and walks away a millionaire.

[Jim W N]

Run the problem by me again...?

[TangoLimaSierra]

42.

Please send prize to...(Jim knows my bank account)

TIA

[LibWhacker]

Check this => https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5mFpVDpKX70

[metmom]

It makes no sense. It’s like someone didn’t explain the whole procedure.

Anyone can take an even number and divide by 2 or an odd number and divide by 3 and add 1.

So then what?

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I suspect that someone untrained in mathematics might possibly have some insight to offer. The field of Number Theory is accessible, and yet chock full of interesting but unproven conjectures, such as the famous Goldbach's conjecture.

[Teflonic]

Here, this should clarify it:

[Dan Cooper]

It’s an algorithm that you repeatedly apply.

If the number is even then divide by 2

else if the number is odd then multiply by 3 and add 1

Repeat until the number is 1

The conjecture is that this will always result in 1 eventually, but it has not been explained why or if that is actually true.

[Nuc 1.1]

Amazing.

[BiglyCommentary]

I just watched a youtube where some guy was late to his college math class, copied the problems on the board, thinking they vwere homework, spent several days solving them, turned the answers in, then the professor revealed he had solved two problems like this one. He said if he had known they were unsolvable (stated at beginning of class he missed) , he probably would have had a mental block and not solved them.

[Leaning Right]

I had that math problem completely solved. But Global Warming set my proof on fire. Perhaps Greta Thunberg can get me a consolation award. Half the prize will do.

[blackdog]

42 squared

[dynachrome]

Maybe it turns into a moebius strip somewhere?

[Cboldt]

Times 3 + 1 will eventually deliver an even number. From there, divide by two repeatedly until you get to 1.

[PapaBear3625]

example: pick a number, like 42

42 / 2 = 21

21 * 3 + 1 = 64

64 / 2 = 32

/ 2 = 16

/ 2 = 8

/ 2 = 4

/ 2 = 2

/ 2 = 1

It says, whatever number you pick, you will arrive at 1

[Chode]

N+1, what do i win?

[algore]

https://vixra.org/pdf/1711.0296v5.pdf

[1FreeAmerican]

Thanks for that explanation!

But I still don’t get what the issue is here.

You will always end up at 1 because of math, and it is true because it’s math.

I not sure I even understand what I just said...

[kosciusko51]

The problem is that the numbers can go up and go down.

To prove that the conjecture is not true is to find a number that as you do the sequence, the sequence return to the original number. That would be an infinite loop, as it would never go to zero, but constantly repeat the pattern. In addition, every number in this sequence would not lead to 1.

[LibWhacker]

Hmm, wonder if it’s flawed? Why would a million dollar reward be announced last month when Sultan published his “proof” in 2017?